Crashed my x5 - need your opinions
 

I crashed my X5 and got the right wheel housing bent. I'm torn between having it repaired (they say they can repair it 99% perfect by pulling and stuff) or replaced. Having it replaced will involve quite a major "surgery": cut the part off the body and welding in a new one. Lots of stuff need to be taken apart. I feel like shit.

Attached I indicated which part is bent. Only that front part.

What do you guys think?

Around 4K difference. I'm paying. But I'm not too concerned about the money. I just want to best result. It's 2008 E70. Ouch, yes, ouch. The accident keeps flashing in my memory.

insurance? if so then it should be 100% not 99%. i figure they would have to replace that whole piece, bending / pulling just doesn't work the way is should:dunno:. anyhow that repair cost of that surgery may outway the price of the vehicle at which point they would total it. i know you said 4k diffreence between fix and new, but how do you have an estimate if your not even sure what the process is. pulling and welding will not be the same cost at any shop. also, i dunno how you'll get your hands on a new piece like that anyhow.

First how long are you planning on keeping the car? And a fix depends on how badly damaged the piece. If its bent and creased pulling it only weakens the part. Cut and weld, you have to consider eventual rust issues and 100% through welds. A bad welder can really mess things up by burning and not getting 100% welds. Yes the can replace it but is all the work totally rust proofed - like at the factory - more than likely not so you'll have that potential issue. Imperfections get into welds and rust outward as do bad welds - they gets microcracks and moisture gets in - they swell and crack. When they say 99% - maybe visually - as original - never even by cutting and replacing.

With insurance certain states have a diminshed value clause where they pay you a percentage loss since the car is not going to fetch (theoretically) on trade or sale what a unblemished car would bring. I'm not talking salvage but diminshed value. They should fix the car 100% but its true value may be 10% less - they will pay you that difference aside from the repair cost.

Anyone that paints or does body work can spot a repaired car - with metallics it can be pretty obvious even if the paint color matches 100% - has to do with the spray patterns and the way the metallic paint "flows" relative to the rest of the panels. Light metallics are the absolute worse - darks or solids not so much.

I was planning to keep the car for a long long time. But now I'm torn between keeping it or selling it once repaired. Where I live, BMW has an ugly resale value. I'm talking about around 40K loss if I resell it (even if the crash hadn't happened. It's just ugly).

Thanks for your advice. I'll have them pull it first and see how it does it.